Worst Ride to St. Barth?
- Thread starter tim
- Start date
KevinS
Senior Insider
In my opinion the worst ride is one that I never took. There used to be a number of sail catamarans that took daytrippers from SXM to SBH. They would leave out of Phillipsburg, and free beer and rum punch would be included in the price of the trip. As many know, the trip from SXM to SBH can be a bit "lumpy" at times, as the boat is often headed into the prevailing seas. Combine the free booze, "lumpy", landlubbers, some of whom were on their 2nd or 3rd drink of the morning before they had cleared Great Bay, and you have a recipe for potentially nasty "mal de mer". Back in the day I saw more than one person all but crawl off of the cats, swear never to go to sea again, and buy a ticket to fly back to SXM.
Me, on my first trip I rode on a power cat on a daytrip. I've never willingly spent a night on SXM since, and I've flown in every time since.
Me, on my first trip I rode on a power cat on a daytrip. I've never willingly spent a night on SXM since, and I've flown in every time since.
ChasBidd
Senior Insider
Oddest ride. But definitely not the worst. In fact, quite fun and interesting:
Way back in the day, 1969. Flew JFK to SXM with a ton of food and other heavy stuff. Got to SMX late. Dad insisted we get to SBH that night. No spending the night! Also no ferry option.
Dad, friendly with one of the "Red Caps", asked what the options were to get to SBH that night. "Cap" advised that a friend of his was leaving SMX for SBH that night on his island hopping freighter. "Fine" says Dad. Pile into a rust bucket of a truck with all the gear. Delivered to the docks. Cash speaks! Aboard we get. This freighter has minimal freeboard. It has no fresh paint. It is loaded to the gunnels with all sorts of product. Mom is NOT happy. I think it is all pretty cool. Dad found a sack of rice or something to sit on while pulling from a bottle of local libation.
Lines off around 9:00. Off we sail into the wind and seas. Clear, starry night. Bumpy ride. Water breaking over the bow. Shooting stars. Carribean a capella from the crew.
Tie up to the SBH quay around false dawn. Local SBH truck loads family and stuff. Up to the 1/2 finished house we go. Deal with customs later that morning.
C.
Way back in the day, 1969. Flew JFK to SXM with a ton of food and other heavy stuff. Got to SMX late. Dad insisted we get to SBH that night. No spending the night! Also no ferry option.
Dad, friendly with one of the "Red Caps", asked what the options were to get to SBH that night. "Cap" advised that a friend of his was leaving SMX for SBH that night on his island hopping freighter. "Fine" says Dad. Pile into a rust bucket of a truck with all the gear. Delivered to the docks. Cash speaks! Aboard we get. This freighter has minimal freeboard. It has no fresh paint. It is loaded to the gunnels with all sorts of product. Mom is NOT happy. I think it is all pretty cool. Dad found a sack of rice or something to sit on while pulling from a bottle of local libation.
Lines off around 9:00. Off we sail into the wind and seas. Clear, starry night. Bumpy ride. Water breaking over the bow. Shooting stars. Carribean a capella from the crew.
Tie up to the SBH quay around false dawn. Local SBH truck loads family and stuff. Up to the 1/2 finished house we go. Deal with customs later that morning.
C.
MIke R
Senior Insider
never really had a worst ride over.. have had amazing travel karma over the years.....but I did that Cat ( El Tigre ) a few times and it was indeed a wild ride...we had a blast....not so for most though.....
didier
Senior Insider
not really a bad ride, but it was on the old voyager about 13 years ago, and it was the last boat out of sxm. the crew dropped my luggage in the ocean as the sea was rough as I was boarding and it slipped out of the crew's hand and lodged between the boat and the dock, everything inside was soaked to the brim as they fished it out while the boat banged it against the rail.
after we started underway, a lot of the locals on board started drinking booze right away, ( drinks were free) lots of singing at the bar as the boat bounced over the waves, then a couple of americans that had joined in on the fun at the bar became sick and started vomiting, they did not look well as we pulled into st. barth.
after we started underway, a lot of the locals on board started drinking booze right away, ( drinks were free) lots of singing at the bar as the boat bounced over the waves, then a couple of americans that had joined in on the fun at the bar became sick and started vomiting, they did not look well as we pulled into st. barth.
JEK
Senior Insider
It was a very stormy March afternoon and nothing was flying from Gate 10. We edged forward and finally at 5:15 it was announced that one flight would go. Dark skies with thunderheads and the stall alarm going off continuously as be bounced from downdraft to updraft and avoid the big black clouds. A total wing waggle over the hill ending in a double bounce landing. The kiss followed the taxi, but was placed in full view of the passengers
We've been lucky. Once bouncing landing after which the pilot joked "There will be no charge for the second landing."
The worst was probably our first and that was because the passenger behind my wife kept praying for the 12 minutes.
Even though the flight was fine, it completely freaked my wife out.
She thought the other person must know something.
The worst was probably our first and that was because the passenger behind my wife kept praying for the 12 minutes.
Even though the flight was fine, it completely freaked my wife out.
She thought the other person must know something.
JEK
Senior Insider
Voosh
Senior Insider
Probably our worst treks have not been between SXM and SBH, but in getting to SXM - the airline foulups. One time, from DTW to SXM, it took over 13 hours with two transfers - usually a five to seven hour trip. Weirdest was when used to fly in from St. Kitts. One time we had a different pilot who took off from SKB and headed in the wrong direction, skimmed the waves, never said a word before/during/after the flight, touched down really late at SBH with a screeching halt just before the beach and left the plane (and us) quite a ways from the gate. Having flown in a lot of circumstances in strange places, we just shrugged our shoulders and figured it was "just one of those flukey flights ya get sometimes." I later overheard inside his (slurred) conversation with another pilot where he was recounting his partying last night and getting the call to sub for our usual pilot just as he was going to bed. Ahhh, the good ole days. :uncomfortableness:
On a chartered flight from San Juan in 1998, the pilot was "qualified" to land at SBH, but didn't have a lot of experience in doing so. As a result, our landing was too fast, and we ran off the runway . . . onto the beach. Some brawny guys who were playing volleyball nearby came running over and pushed the plane back onto the runway. The pilot restarted the engine & taxied to the terminal. There were five of us, and everyone headed to the bar as the pilot was left to deal with airport officials who were pretty agitated.
NYCFred
Senior Insider
I think I would have liked your dad...
VladStBarts
SBH Member
Don't have any personal stories, other than throwing up on the boat each time on the way in
but i found this video
http://youtu.be/-z2o0acIlm4
but i found this video
http://youtu.be/-z2o0acIlm4
